Hannah Wilson awarded Inner Temple Pegasus Scholarship

August 14, 2025

Hannah Wilson will head to New Zealand this September as a recipient of the prestigious Pegasus Scholarship.

The Inner Temple scheme offers placements abroad to barristers with up to seven years’ practice, giving them the chance to gain international experience and forge new professional links. As Hannah prepares to begin her placement, she shares her motivations and aspirations for the months ahead.

1. Why did you decide to apply for the Pegasus Scholarship?

Ever since I first heard about the Pegasus Scholarship while I was at university it struck me as an amazing chance to meet young lawyers from other jurisdictions, build new connections and to gain a fresh perspective on criminal law. Since joining the Bar, I have heard from colleagues how inspiring they found their placements and how much the Pegasus scheme has benefitted their career. I’m really excited to have been given the chance to gain a comparative perspective on criminal law by working in New Zealand and I am honoured to have been chosen to act as an ambassador for the UK Bar abroad.

2. What are you hoping to learn from the experience?

At a time when the criminal justice system in the UK is under immense pressure and with significant and wide-reaching proposals for change being tabled, I’m fascinated to see whether similar challenges also exist in New Zealand and how the system there has adapted to face such issues. Alongside this, I’m also particularly interested to learn about measures which have been introduced to promote rehabilitation and cut down reoffending which we don’t currently have here, for example, the specialised drug and alcohol courts which have been piloted in Auckland which aim to assist defendants break the cycle of their offending.

3. Why were you particularly interested in the New Zealand placement?

I applied for the Pegasus Scholarship so that I could get some practical, hands-on experience of the work done by young lawyers in another jurisdiction. Through the New Zealand placement, I get to spend three months with a criminal litigation firm called Kayes Fletcher Walker based in Auckland. This firm is the Office of the Manukau Crown Solicitor and they are responsible for the prosecution of serious crime across South Auckland; I’m really excited at the prospect of being able to assist with ongoing cases and see how advocacy is different in New Zealand. Also- as a massive fan of hiking and the outdoors, the chance to spend time in beautiful New Zealand was just too good to miss!